


Check Yes, Captain

by fencingfox



Series: Song Fic Collection [6]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Gen, Holodecks/Holosuites, Song Inspired, Song: Check Yes Juliet, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-17 18:09:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20625332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fencingfox/pseuds/fencingfox
Summary: :: And what exactly would that report say? "First Officer caught ogling Captain's boob"? :::: It'd probably say something like "First Officer breaks into Captain's quarters" :::: And what about my report on comms being down during the red alert? :::: Oh, reports get deleted all the time....in fact, I don't think I see that report ::





	1. Kathryn

**Author's Note:**

> _Check Yes, Juliet_ by We the Kings inspired this little gem.  
It's a cute, cute song that always reminds me of those silly notes where you ask someone if they wanna go out with you and there's these little check boxes for yes or no. Does anyone else remember those? Just me? Okay.

Kathryn looks at the PADD in her hand in disbelief. This is the fourth such note this week from her First Officer. It really isn't behavior becoming of a senior officer. She aught to put him on report for it, or at least block these messages from him. Her thumb hovers over the ridiculous checkboxes. The top of the message says, "Go out with me Friday?" The boxes below say simply 'yes' and 'no'. She's tempted to check yes. She sighs and looks around her bedroom—her empty bedroom. She reaches over for the tea on her nightstand, another thing she picked up from him: tea before bed. It settles warmly in her stomach as she presses her thumb to the 'no' checkbox. She can't _date_ her First Officer. Not only would that compromise her position as Captain, it would make for a horrendous return to Starfleet in the Alpha Quadrant. Kathryn wonders if he realizes this since he hasn't been in Starfleet for a few years. _He'll get the message eventually._ Her PADD buzzes with another message. It's from him. She debates ignoring it in favor of feigning sleep, but she had just responded. She doesn't think he'd believe she'd passed out already. He knows about her occasional bouts of insomnia. He knows a surprising amount as her First Officer. Things she doubts her late First Officer knew, things she doubts Tuvok knows. Maybe that's why he thinks she's interested. She sighs, resigned, and opens the message because a small part of her is interested beyond reason in the enigmatic man she keeps as her First Officer. 

:: Saturday? :: 

She replies with :: No. :: and hopes that the period makes it look final. He replies back :: 'Kay :: and she thinks to herself how she doesn't understand him any more today than she did their first day in the Delta Quadrant. His messages are downright odd. If it weren't for his encrypted signature laced into the message data, she'd not believe it was him sending these childish messages to her every evening like clockwork. He gave no indication of his desire when he worked next to her on the bridge. Hell, he hardly looked at her then. Maybe he did when she wasn't looking, but she doubted it. She has good instincts; she'd know if she was being watched. Kathryn turns off her PADD after saving a bookmark in the novel she was reading. She sets it facedown on her nightstand and hunkers back into her blankets with a call to the computer to dim the lights to five percent—another habit of his. 

She dreams of him. He's following her around on the bridge like a lost puppy. She constantly asks for reports from him in the hopes that he won't have one on him and will need to go to her ready room to get it. Her plan doesn't work. He always seems to have the report in his hand ready for her before she's finished asking for it. At the end of their shift, which comes quickly, he follows her back to her quarters. She stops outside them with her hands on her hips and glares up at him menacingly. She has no doubt he's seen worse from B'Elanna, but she hopes it's enough to push him away. 

"Kathryn?" 

"It's still Captain," she warns. 

"Captain." 

"What is it, Chakotay?" She sighs and drops her hands. "You've been following me all day. I felt like I'd step on you the next time I turned around." He'd never actually been that close, but it felt good to exaggerate. 

"Permission to kiss you?" He's very formal; it throws her off balance. 

"I, um, what?" Her glare drops to confusion. 

"Permission to kiss you?" His hands find her waist and she feels her face heat up. She's sure she's bright red. She hates being bright red. Bad enough her hair is red. Now, her cheeks are too. She looks up at him, not able to say the words she needs to say. It doesn't seem to matter. He sees her answer in her eyes and dips his head to kiss her on the mouth. She kisses him back, surprised by how warm and soft his lips are. Their lips mold together sweetly. It feels right to be in his arms, kissing him. She can forget she's a captain of a lost starship. Instead she's simply Kathryn, a very lonely woman on a lost starship. 

He pushes her against the door to her room. She gasps. His hands are sliding under the hem of her turtleneck and jacket to touch her bare skin. His lips are trailing moist kisses down her neck. She looks around them and then pushes him off her, not wanting to be caught in a compromising position by anyone. Before she realizes what she's doing, she presses her entry code, waits for the half-millisecond it takes for the door to open, and then pulls Chakotay inside behind her. 

He pulls her shirt and jacket off of her as soon as the door closes. _He didn't ask for permission to do that._ She actually doesn't mind. She's curious about him. _It's purely a science experiment_, she tells herself, _can a wound up Captain relax into the simple pleasure of kissing someone?_ She notes vaguely that kissing someone doesn't require her to be topless. She turns her attentions to pull his turtleneck and jacket over his head swiftly. He lets the clothing fall as they move to her bedroom. She feels giddy like a teenager. She doesn't know what he has in plan for her but she's sure she'll like it. He's kissing her fiercely when she feels the bed at her calves. She lets herself fall to it. The Starfleet issued comforter fluffs up slightly at her landing before it settles softly. 

Chakotay pauses over her, drinking her in, she supposes. Then he wrestles with her trousers and pulls them down with her underwear. She's still wearing her boots so they stop short of coming off. He doesn't bother removing them entirely and she finds that she likes being a little trapped. It makes her feel womanly. He pulls off the rest of his clothing, boots and boxers included, and clambers over her. He kisses up one leg starting from her knee, over the swell of her stomach, between her breasts, and along her neck before kissing her squarely on the mouth. She moans and presses against him to grind. He groans at her movements, pulls away, unclasps her bra, and tosses it away. He puts a leg between hers, high enough for her to press against it as she squirms. She needs this. 

"Chakotay," she moans. In her voice is the weight of two years, the crushing pressure of her love for him, and the strangling hold of rules and regulations melting away like hot melt-wires. 

"Kathryn," he says but doesn't say. His mouth doesn't move when he speaks. "Kathryn." She hears it again. Her grinding slows, but Chakotay takes the opportunity to press his fingers to her and play with her casually. She moans. "Kathryn, wake up." She wakes up finally and looks around her room. _He_ is leaning over her, nearly like he had in her dream. His eyes graze her body hungrily and for a moment, she thinks she's still sleeping. Then his eyes are on hers. She feels cool air on her inner thighs, stomach, and left breast and realizes why he'd looked at her. 

She does not need this. The high and mighty Captain of _Voyager_ sleeps naked. The environmental controls in her quarters are always too warm. B'Elanna can't tell her what's wrong with them so she'd resigned herself to sleeping naked to account for it. Her thin sheets are tangled over her body, likely due to her dream. She shifts the blanket to cover her breast and more of her thigh. _At least I used the blanket this time._ She doesn't want to think about what Chakotay would have seen if she'd ditched it last night like she'd thought of doing. She wonders how long it took for him to wake her, how long he'd been able to look at her body, whether he'd moved the blanket at all to get a better view of anything.... She shakes the thought from her mind and hopes that whatever gods out there prevented her from moaning in her sleep. 

"You'd better have a good reason for not using the comm system, Commander." She sits up, gathering the sheet to her chest and using a hand to wrap it behind her back above the curve of her butt. He walks away from her and stares at a plant, mercifully. She relaxes somewhat. 

"Comms are out." He swallows. And then looks back at her sheepishly. "If I'd known what I was getting myself into, I'd have brought a camera." She fumes and has half a mind to throw him in the brig for the rest of the trip. _The gall!_ But then she realizes that if the comm systems are out, then a peeping Chakotay is the least of her worries. He turns back to the plant when she stands. She walks to her dresser, dragging the sheet with her. Even if he was facing the other way, she'd be damned if she gave him any reward for looking. 

"Why are the comms out?" 

"Red alert." She could have guessed that from the low klaxon sounding off in the corridor. She grabs some underwear from her dresser and keeps a careful eye on Chakotay while she slips it under her sheets. She grabs a bra next and manages to put it on without losing her sheets. When she has these on, she drops the sheet. She had as much clothing as a bathing suit and he'd seen her in one of those on multiple occasions. "Hostile aliens began firing on us at oh-400 hours." She slips into her turtleneck. 

"I'm decent, Chakotay." She wishes she'd waited until she put her trousers on because he turns around immediately and runs his eyes over the swell of her breasts under the tight turtleneck and down her long legs. She steps into her trousers with a blush. "Status?" 

"We have disabled two of their ships, but long range sensors have detected ten more coming our way. Warp engines are offline." She looks at him. They are sitting ducks right now. She starts dressing faster. She leaves her trousers unbuttoned but resting on her hips as she goes to her closet to pick up a jacket. She feels his eyes on her, likely tracing her curves. She keeps herself in good shape so he has plenty to look at. She quickly slips into her jacket, zips it to where she likes to, tucks it into her trousers, and fastens them at her stomach. 

"Weapons status?" She turns around and finds a pair of socks, slips them on from her perch on her bed, and then slides her feet deftly into her boots. It felt weird to have him watch her get dressed, intimate even. It isn't something she wants to repeat any time soon. 

"Photon torpedoes are offline but we have phaser banks at eighty percent capacity." She nods and heads out of her room. She can work with that. Chakotay is quickly on her heels and she's reminded of her dream: how he followed her around all day like a puppy, how he smelled when he stood in front of her outside her quarters, how he felt when he was naked and— Kathryn stops that train of thought before her face gives her away. She bursts through the doors of the bridge and looks around. Everyone is intently working at their stations. She begins asking for statuses and barking orders. It takes them the better part of three hours, but eventually they scare or disable the last of the alien ships and find a nice dark nebula to make repairs in. She asks B'Elanna to give her updates after lunch since she will be taking off for the rest of the morning to catch up on her sleep...and maybe find Chakotay in her dreams again. The temptation is almost enough to take Chakotay up on his offer to teach her how to lucid dream. 

She wakes up to her alarm at lunch time, disappointed that she hadn't returned to her dream with Chakotay. She sighs and starts getting dressed again. She wore underwear to bed this time in case the aliens returned and Chakotay called on her again. She wasn't about to sleep in a bra too, but at least she'd be assured he couldn't catch a glimpse of her auburn pubic hair. She finishes getting dressed, blushing at how she got dressed just earlier today and heads out for the bridge wondering how Chakotay will act. He had been civil during the red alert but Kathryn wrote that up to the urgency of the matter. 

"Good afternoon, Captain," he addresses her casually when she takes her seat next to him. She nods. His eyes don't linger anywhere they shouldn't. 

"Afternoon, Commander." Tom is at the helm right now. She stares at the back of his head. "Status?" Mr. Kim responds from behind her to her left. 

"No one has pursued us since earlier today. I am picking up dilithium readings on an M-Class planet that is only seven light years out of our way." 

"Mr. Paris." 

"Modifying heading for Harry's planet." Kathryn feels the ship bank softly to the right. She settles into her seat and stares out the viewport until the planet comes into view. She bids Mr. Paris to put them in a low orbit after Tuvok confirms that the planet has no intelligent life. Engineering teams plus Tom, who has nothing better to do, beam down to collect the dilithium. They return an hour later with a few scratches—the planet is covered in thorny brush—but are otherwise unharmed. A few hours later, B'Elanna calls to the bridge to inform her that the dilithium has been scrubbed and stored for later use. They leave the planet's orbit and resume course just before her shift ends. 

Kathryn decides on dinner in the mess tonight. She leaves Chakotay to finish out a few things—perks of being the highest ranked officer—and heads for the mess hall to find out what Neelix has cooked up today. She missed lunch because of her morning nap so she's hungry now for just about anything. The smell of butter and potatoes wafts over to her Indiana-honed nose. She thinks baked potato is on the menu today. Sure enough, the line for Neelix's dinner is long. She grabs a tray and takes her place in line. She happily grabs the largest baked potato from the plate, cuts it open down the middle while she waits for Ensign Nicoletti to finish in front of her, and then takes her place amid the multitude of toppings. She goes for Delta-Quadrant butter and sour cream, cheese, and chives. _What I wouldn't give for some bacon to go with this._ Satisfied, she takes her tray to a small table near the windows and sits facing them. When she finishes eating, she stares out the windows, day dreaming. 

He's waiting for her at the altar. Kathryn looks down at herself. She's wearing a veil and a lacy white wedding dress. She has a bouquet of orange and yellow tulips in her hands wrapped in white like she is. She looks up to see a smiling Chakotay a few paces from her. Tuvok is at the altar in the position of officiant. She steps in front of him and turns to look at Chakotay. Her long train twists around her ankles and Naomi Wildman, dressed in pink, gathers it up and moves it behind her. He's smiling at her sweetly. She can't help but smile back just as sweetly. 

"Captain?" She comes out of her day dream quickly to see him smiling at her like he had in her dream. She blushes. 

"Sorry for interrupting you. Is this seat taken?" She sees that he has a tray of baked potato, loaded the same as she had loaded hers. _It's just a baked potato._ And that's precisely why she blushes further. She remembers a happy evening when she was a young girl where Phoebe asked her parents why they got married. As a young girl, Kathryn was as curious as her sister on how two people fell in love. Her mother told them she knew they'd marry from the moment he put his baked potato together they same way as she did without looking at her once. 

"Go ahead, Commander." Using his title helps her separate the real thing from her dreams. 

"You know you're blushing," he teases as he cuts into his potato. "Must be a good dream lover," he leans forward and smirks, "is it me?" She looks away. _At least he wasn't ravaging me just now._ She regrets the thought because it makes her cheeks burn. She looks back at a surprised and amused Chakotay. _Damn, now that's what he thinks._

"I-I should go." She curses her stuttering and moves to stand. _I'm just making him believe this more!_ She almost falls over but manages not to lose her balance. _Good thing too, I'd have landed in his lap._ She turns around quickly, hoping he doesn't see her somehow blush deeper. _This is not your day, Kathryn._

She's finally calmed down when she can lock herself in her quarters. She sighs and begins to get ready for bed. Her limbs tingle. Her dreams have been so real. She almost hopes there's another alien species experimenting on them. She slides under the covers to read from where she left off yesterday. After a few hours, she's curled on her side during a particularly intense moment: the heroine has been captured by her worst enemy. She's being taken to his quarters and Kathryn knows what is about to happen. She's scared for her favorite character. Her enemy is well-known for 'breaking' his captives. The character knows this and is scared as well, but doesn't want to show it as his crew manhandles her to his quarters. Kathryn hopes she can resist, knowing that it won't happen since this is a romance novel. Her PADD buzzes, startling her just as the heroine is grabbed roughly from behind in his dark quarters. Chakotay's message drifts across the screen at the top. She opens it, annoyed, but then remembers that she has a few questions for him. She checks 'no' without thinking too much of it, presses the chat box at the bottom, and types her message: :: About earlier...how much did you see? :: 

His reply is quick. She'd wager a guess that he probably had the PADD in his hand and was waiting for her reply. :: Just your boob is all. :: She looks at that message. It's so casual, like seeing her boob is no big deal. But she knows how he feels about her; no doubt she and her boob will be on his mind tonight. The thought of him masturbating to her makes her stomach go up in butterflies. She'd never known anyone to do so, but then again, she figures not many people would admit to that. She's sure a few on _Voyager_ probably have already. Some people like strong women. She doesn't notice the second message for a little while. :: Since I've seen you naked, it would be rude of me not to take you on a date. :: _He has a point,_ she admits. Then she tells herself that he hasn't seen _all_ of her naked. 

:: Sorry, but no. You're lucky I don't put you on report. :: His reply is quick. 

:: And what exactly would that report say? "First Officer caught ogling Captain's boob"? :: She can't help but laugh. If Starfleet ever saw that, they'd string her up from a flag pole. 

:: It'd probably say something like "First Officer breaks into Captain's quarters" :: He replies quickly again. 

:: And what about my report on comms being down during the red alert? :: She smirks. She's flirting now, but she doesn't want to stop. 

:: Oh, reports get deleted all the time....in fact, I don't think I see that report :: She laughs at his response. 

:: Monster. :: She doesn't reply back. She closes the messaging application and sets the PADD facedown on her nightstand as she calls for five percent illumination. She can't sleep though. Her mind is all over Chakotay at the moment. Her hand drifts over her stomach, then lower. She thinks about the predicament her heroine is in and wonders if Chakotay likes to play rough. She doesn't mind being put into her place in the bedroom. The thought has her fingers caressing her clitoris. She opens her legs for better access, imagining that Chakotay is fingering her instead. She closes her eyes and lets the feeling of imaginary kisses on her neck and shoulders emerge from her subconscious. She moans and rocks against her hand. She's very wet. Her own sounds turn her on. She moans again and makes her fingers work faster. She can hear the soft slap of wet skin and her hand. Her stomach tightens and her body tingles. It sounds so hot. She expects Chakotay would like it too. That thought sends her over the edge with a muffled scream. She bites her lip as she goes over, her back arching. She learned long ago that if she keeps going, she can force a second orgasm. With another muffled scream, it washes over her. Her eyes are shut tight and she's rocking obscenely against her fingers. She says his name softly as she settle back onto the bed. 

It takes a long moment for the reality of what she's just done to catch up with her. _Shit, how am I ever going to look him straight now?_ Dreams and day dreams are one thing—she can't control these—but masturbating with him intentionally on her mind is something within her control. She takes her fingers from her body and wipes them on her sheets along the side of the bed. She turns to the side, cradling her hands under her chin. She can still smell herself on her fingers. She takes a deep breath before she realizes what she's doing. Then she extends her hand out as far as she can comfortably. She falls asleep after a few minutes. 

She's surprised to wake up without dreaming of him. Maybe her masturbation helped cleanse her of him. What she did last night makes her blush. It haunts her as she gets dressed quickly and goes to the bridge. She warily takes her seat next to him. She doesn't touch the console between them. Even though she had washed her hands this morning several times, she imagines she can still smell herself on her fingers. She doesn't want him to smell that and wonder. Halfway through her morning shift, she can't take the embarrassment any longer. She excuses herself to work on reports in her ready room. She doesn't reemerge until the end of her dinner. 

He doesn't find her at dinner. She doesn't daydream about him either. She again chalks it up to having cleansed him from her mind somewhat. She goes back to her room to spend the rest of the evening quietly reading. As she expected, her heroine's captor rapes her with surprising care, but the heroine admits that by the time he had her undressed and his fingers between her legs, she wanted it as much as he did. The buzzing PADD interrupts Kathryn's thoughts about a certain tattooed First Officer she knows. She thinks for a long time before actually pressing no. She puts the PADD away without checking if he's sent her any messages. Her fingers drift south after the lights are dimmed. She presses them to herself and moans softly. Chakotay's face comes to view. His smiling, tender face. But she can't bring herself to climax. Her wrist begins cramping after the third or fourth time she gets herself close. With a frustrated yell, she stops and wipes her whole hand against the side of the bed—she'd gotten herself very wet. She curls up and tries not to think about how good she smells or whether Chakotay would think the same while she falls asleep. 

It's easier to look at him in the eyes this morning. Kathryn is quietly proud of herself. She doesn't lock herself in her ready room today. They share friendly conversation with each other through their shift. 

"Have you seen Neelix's new holodeck resort program?" She shakes her head. 

"No. Is it better than Sangrine's?" She sees Tom's ears perk up at the mention of his programming baby. She sees Chakotay notice the same thing. It amazes her how in sync the two of them are. 

"Yes, much." Tom turns around at this. 

"If I may speak freely, Commander?" He nods. 

"I'll have you know that Harry and I added a lot to Neelix's program. He had the hosts wearing tuxedos for Pete's sake! And he didn't have any...entertainment." 

"Entertainment?" Tom blushes and looks away. 

"Women, scantily clad. They were actually Harry's," he tries to cover. 

"Hey!" Harry calls from behind them. Kathryn laughs. "I guess they would have to know they weren't yours. If they were, they'd all be half-Klingon!" Tom looks like a mixture of mock hurt and surprise. 

"At ease, men. I understand the need for a little fun every now and then. Maybe I'll put something fun together for us female crewmen." She hears B'Elanna at the engineering station guffaw. 

"Me too, Captain," she replies. Tom looks up at her. She spots a look of jealousy on his features just before he turns around for the helm that reminds her that her chief helmsman and chief engineer have been dating for a few weeks now. Chakotay's and her conversation drifts back towards work and reports before the end of her shift. At which point, she leaves for the hololab with Chakotay close behind her. 

"Where are you headed?" She debates telling him or lying. She decides to tell him the truth to see if he squirms. 

"Hololab." He gives her a look, blushes, and then looks straight ahead. She smirks on the side that he can't see since they are both staring straight ahead. _Got him._

"Planning to make your boy-toy then?" She nods. 

"Of course." 

"I'm headed to the holodeck now. I look forward to seeing him when you finish." She blushes. He's bound to look for what she finds attractive if she shows him her boy-toy. She gets off at her stop before him and heads for the hololab. She boots up a programming setup and begins creating her custom boy-toy. When she finishes, she realizes she's recreated a speedo-clad Chakotay minus his tattoo. She blushes. She can't very well show _this_ to the crew. _Oh god, I'd never hear the end of it._ She thinks Tuvok would probably remind her of command distance and Chakotay would probably pursue her even more relentlessly. Tom and B'Elanna would laugh at her. Harry, the ever desperate for approval ensign, might as well. She sighs and looks at her creation. She's about to delete it when she has a better idea. 

"Computer, access Commander Chakotay's most recent transporter data." 

"Access approved." 

"Place Commander Chakotay's clothing from this transporter data onto program boy-toy." The red and black uniform of a command officer shimmers onto her holographic Chakotay. A thought occurs to her. "Computer, access Commander Chakotay's medical records." 

"Unable to comp—" 

"Authorization Janeway alpha seven pi." 

"Access approved." She walks up to her Chakotay clone. 

"Add any tattoos of Commander Chakotay to program boy-toy and save program." She sees the lines and swirls of his tattoo appear over his left eye. Her fingers trace it and she wonders where else he has tattoos. A dangerous thought crosses her mind. _I can always look._ "Computer, encrypt program boy-toy for the Captain only. And remind me to modify the program tomorrow." She begins to peal the clothing from her program. It doesn't respond to her actions. He stands in only his boxers in short time. She debates pulling them off as well, but blushes and resists. Her masturbation doesn't need any more fuel. He doesn't have any other tattoos on his front. She walks around him, trailing a hand on his torso, to look at his back. She gasps at the artwork she finds there. Two tattooed eyes of a wolf stare at her head on. The tribal tattoo displays its fur and fierce look with surprising detail. The wolf is centered on his upper back. She wonders if she's just met his spirit animal. _Of course, it's a wolf. He's so very loyal and fierce._ She shivers at the thought. She closes the program without saving and heads for the holodeck to experience this new resort program. 

She walks onto the bright beach without drawing any attention. She looks around for a familiar face. She finds three. Chakotay is sitting on a bed across from B'Elanna and Tom who are sharing a bed and facing him. Chakotay looks down. She can see his lips moving but doesn't know what he's saying. She slinks to a column nearby. She sees Tom's spotted her but he smirks at her and doesn't give her away. _Damn him._

"I don't know what else to do. I'll probably just give up soon." Tom whispers into B'Elanna's ear while Chakotay talks. Her eyes widen and Kathryn knows that Tom's just told her she's eavesdropping on them. She hides herself completely behind the column just as she sees B'Elanna look up. _I'll kill them both._ But she knows she can't afford to lose her chief engineer and chief helmsman no matter how much they irk her right now. She leans back against the column, pretending to admire the view of the clear blue water in case anyone sees her. 

"Don't give up, Chakotay. She'll come around," B'Elanna says. Kathryn holds her breath, thinking she'll give her away. 

"What have you tried anyhow?" 

"I've been sending her messages: Go out with me Friday? There's a checkbox for yes and one for no. She always presses no." Tom says something that she can't quite make out. "Yes, why?" More of quiet Tom. _What the hell is he telling him?_ She has half a mind to turn around and try reading lips but she doesn't want to risk it in case Chakotay is looking her way. 

"Chakotay, Chakotay, Chakotay. That's not the way to go." She hears him pat Chakotay's shoulder. "You gotta give her no choice." 

"Is that what you did with me?" 

"You know it, kitten." _Kitten?_ She almost laughs out loud. She's surprised not to hear Tom's anguished cry as B'Elanna rips his head off. 

"Consider yourself sleeping on the floor tonight." _They share quarters now?_ She makes a mental note to ask if they want larger quarters. 

"Fine, but I bet you'll get cold and join me." She hears Tom yelp. "That hurt!" 

"It was meant to." Chakotay's chuckling softly at B'Elanna's comment.

"Since it hurt so bad, could you forget about the floor?" 

"I'll think about it." 

"Please do. ANYway, Chakotay. Next time you send the message, make both options 'yes'." Kathryn shakes her head. _That won't work. I'll just delete the message._ She sneaks toward the exit of the holodeck before she's caught or Tom and B'Elanna decide it's funny to tell Chakotay where she is if they haven't already. A red alert klaxon rings. The ship bucks her against the entry way and her world goes dark. 


	2. Chakotay

Chakotay is the first to stand when the red alert klaxon ricochets across the ship. His first thought is that the aliens are back. He wonders how many ships there are this time. 

"Tom, take the helm from whatever Ensign is there now. B'Elanna, go to engineering." They take his orders in stride, but Tom calls to Chakotay just before he exits. 

"Chakotay, the Captain." He catches up to their pilot to see an unconscious Kathryn in the doorway. The doors can't close since she's lying across the threshold. Her forehead has a large gaping wound. His chest constricts. _Kathryn._

"She's breathing, Chakotay," B'Elanna says. He comes beside her and brushes a few stray strands away from her cut. 

"Computer, two to beam to sickbay." 

"Unable to comply." 

"Why not?" He growls. 

"Transporters are offline." He glares at B'Elanna even though it can't be her fault. The attack probably caused it. The ship rocks again. 

"Tom, help me pick her up." 

"Aye, Commander." Together, they manage to hoist Kathryn into his arms against his chest. She feels so small. B'Elanna tilts the Captain's head back against Chakotay's chest where it won't roll. Her eyes flutter open. Upon seeing him, she puts a hand to his cheek and whispers. 

"Chakotay." Then her hand falls and her eyes close. Her mouth is parted slightly. Chakotay hikes her up higher on his chest and begins for Sickbay. 

"Tell Tuvok he's in command, Tom," he calls over his shoulder. He looks at Kathryn, willing her to open her eyes again as he carries her to Sickbay. He stumbles a few times when the ship lurches. He guesses Tom is at the helm. _He sure knows his evasive maneuvers._ He manages to walk into Sickbay without dropping or further injuring Kathryn. The blood on her forehead has gushed out onto his jacket. A resting ensign slides off of his biobed when he sees Chakotay enter. There are no other open beds so Chakotay lays Kathryn on the bed. The Doctor comes next to her quickly. 

"What happened?" 

"I don't know exactly," he takes Kathryn's hand in his and kisses her knuckles, cursing himself for never doing it before. "Tom found her at the entrance to the holodeck. She must have hit her head on the initial attack." His comm beeps. The Doctor is scanning her body with a tricorder. 

"Tuvok to Commander Chakotay." He taps it. 

"Yes, Tuvok?" 

"Your presence is required on the bridge." He looks at the Doctor. 

"Go; you have no medical training." He nods. 

"I'll be right there." He closes the channel and looks at the Doctor pointedly. "Take care of her." 

"I intend to, Commander." Chakotay sprints to the bridge. Tuvok relinquishes the Captain's chair for him. He doesn't sit down; he's too wired. 

"Status!" He barks. He moves to the helm and stands behind Tom, looking up at the viewscreen. 

"The aliens have returned. There are twenty ships," Ensign Kim replies. Tuvok drifts back to security as the lieutenant there moves aside. Chakotay resists the urge to curse their luck. It won't do to see a commanding officer upset even it is completely warrented. 

"Their first attack took out our photon torpedoes and reduced shields to sixty percent," Tuvok says. The ship rocks again. Chakotay grips the helm next to Tom, careful to avoid pressing anything he shouldn't. He can't disable or disperse twenty well-armed ships with only phasers. He doubts even Kathryn could. A memory returns to him: one of the Captain manually releasing photon torpedoes like mines. 

"Are the photon torpedo doors still functional?" 

"Yes, Commander, but we can not fire them." 

"That's all right," he says as he backs away from the helm. "I'll release them manually. Tom, on my order, fly as close to as many of their ships as you can. We're going to bomb them into next week." 

"Aye, Sir." He runs out of the bridge, crawls into the Jeffries tube that leads to the torpedo cells, and taps his badge once he's there. 

"Now, Tom." He arms the first torpedo and shoots it out into space. He crawls a little further and releases two more before giving the order to get the hell out of there. He doesn't hear the explosions but feels them rock the ship. "Status?" 

"We are no longer being pursued," Harry responds happily. 

"Good. I'll be there in a moment." 

"Captain," _Captain? Oh shit._ "You may want to speak with the Doctor first," Tuvok concludes. The bridge is silent. His stomach drops and pulls him into a blackhole of despair. 

"I will Tuvok. Thank you." It feels odd thanking the Vulcan for informing him of Kathryn's death. He crawls out of the Jeffries tube and walks morbidly to Sickbay. The Doctor looks at him with sad eyes. There is only one bed with a black sheet over it. He goes to it. 

"What happened?" 

"She suffered from an aneurism—a bursting blood vessel—in her brain. I was unable to revive her." 

"Can I see her?" 

"You may. I will leave you alone...Captain." _Spirits, I will never get used to that._ He gingerly pulls the sheets from her head. She looks peaceful. The Doctor was able to heal her cut. If it wasn't for the blackhole sitting where his heart should be, he'd have thought she was only sleeping. His eyes feel warm and heavy with tears. He presses a hand to her cheek. She's still warm. 

"Kathryn." He feels his lip quiver and he starts crying. The tears roll down his cheeks silently. A few land on her cheeks and roll off of her. He looks around for the Doctor furtively. When he doesn't see him, he dips his head to kiss her on the lips. He's reminded of movies he saw as a child where crying on a loved one or kissing their cold lips can bring them back to life. He doesn't hold his breath when he comes back up to look at her longingly. This world doesn't have magic like that. _But we have the Borg,_ he realizes suddenly. Sobered, he covers her face again and walks quickly from his dead Captain—_no, his dead Kathryn. And she isn't even mine._ "Computer, locate Seven of Nine." 

"Seven of Nine is in Astrometrics." He breaks into a sprint. He has no idea how long after death that she can revive Kathryn. The doors to astrometrics open swiftly and he runs in and grabs Seven by the shoulders. 

"Seven, you revived Neelix when he died right?" She looks down at his hands on her shoulders with her mouth opened slightly. He isn't sure if it is out of disgust or surprise. She looks back at him with cold, inquisitive eyes. 

"I assume you are here in regards to Captain Janeway?" 

"Yes. Can you bring her back?" He hates how desperate he sounds. 

"I can. But as I recall, Captain, Neelix had trouble adjusting to life after death." He doesn't think she realizes how her choice of words means something other than what she means to say. 

"I recall he had an adjustment period. But this is the Captain we're talking about. She'll be fine." She thinks for a moment, her eyes glazing over and then clearing when she speaks. 

"I see merit in your claim." 

"So you will do it?" 

"I will." Chakotay releases her, relieved. _Just hold on Kathryn. We're coming to get you._

"When can you begin?" 

"I will need several hours to collect enough nanoprobes and reprogram them for reanimation." 

"I understand. Please inform me when you are ready to inject her." He turns to leave. 

"Captain." He turns back around. 

"Yes, Seven." 

"What is the nature of the relationship between you and Captain Janeway?" He hesitates, remember himself kissing her dead body. 

"We are friends, Seven. Just friends." She nods. 

"I see," she says, no doubt filing all of this into her memory. Chakotay goes to his quarters then. He sits down on his bed, leans forward, and pulls his jacket and turtleneck off of his back to throw them on the ground. He has a certain curiosity to scratch. 

"Computer, who is the commanding officer of _Voyager_." 

"Since the Chief Medical Officer declared the death of Captain Janeway at 1752," his heart constricts, "Commander Chakotay has been promoted to Captain of the _USS Voyager_." He lays back in his bed sideways with his arms behind his head. _Too bad. Captain Chakotay has a certain ring to it._ He falls asleep. He dreams of explosions and being too slow to save Kathryn again and again. He wakes up, cold and crying. _Everything will be alright soon. Seven and the Doctor will revive her and then we can go back to the way things were. You'll see._ The thoughts comfort him. He stands up and pads to his bathroom to splash warm water on his face. He looks into his bloodshot eyes after drying his face with a terry cloth hand towel. _Who is this sad man in the mirror?_ He frowns, tosses the towel on the counter, shuts off the lights, and then goes back to bed. He strips out of his trousers and crawls under the covers. He mercifully doesn't dream for the rest of the night. 

Seven isn't ready with the Borg nanoprobes in the morning. She estimates she will be ready by 1900 hours. Chakotay takes her at her word and fulfills his duty shifts. He's uncomfortable with the crew calling him Captain since he knows that he's going to be reviving her in a matter of hours. Only Seven and the Doctor know his plans though, in case it doesn't work. He hopes it will. Every spare moment, he prays that it will. He can't eat lunch. Neelix doesn't press him on it, but B'Elanna does. 

"You can't still be pining after her?" She says gently. Her hand rests on his own. 

"That's easy for you to say. Tom's _alive_." She draws her hand back, looking hurt. "Sorry, B'Elanna. I miss her," he admits quietly. 

"I know. We all do." 

"Maybe not for long." She looks up at him, confused. Her head is cocked to the side like a dog's. _Kathryn likes dogs._

"What do you mean?" 

"Remember when Seven and the Doctor brought Neelix back?" Her eyes grow wide. 

"You don't mean...." She drops her voice to a whisper. "Seven and the Doctor are going to bring her _back_?" He nods. 

"I hope so." She moves to squeeze his hand. 

"Me too." She stand up then, but before she leaves entirely, she turns around. "Chakotay?" 

"Hmm?" He looks up at her. She smiles softly. 

"Tell her you love her." 

"I will," he looks down and says to himself, "but I think she knows already." He gets up soon after and takes his full tray to the reclaimer. He dumps it in unceremoniously and heads back to the bridge. He has a few more hours of his shift to go. Then he'll have another few hours before Seven is ready for him. He finishes his shift, grateful that nothing more pressing than a nearby blackhole occurs. He takes it as a blessing and heads back to his quarters to unwind. He's making tea for himself when the computer chimes in. 

"Captain, you asked to be reminded," Kathryn's voice plays over the sound system. "Remind me to modify the program tomorrow." He looks up from the steaming water. He likes to make his tea the traditional way, with a tea bag and hot water. Kathryn finds it funny and old-fashioned, but she took the tea bags that he offered her. 

"Computer, what is the program I need to modify?" 

"Program boy-toy." Chakotay guffaws. _So she started it. I wonder how far she got._ Chakotay slips on a light tunic and some dark jeans, the same jeans he'd caught her staring at him in back on New Earth. The thought makes him smile even when his heart clenches. He takes the turbolift at the end of the hall to go to the hololab. It's the same turbolift they rode in together the other day. _Sprits, if this doesn't work I'll never be able to go anywhere without being reminded of her._ Chakotay tilts his head up and closes his eyes. 

"A-koo-chee-moy-a. We are far from the sacred places of our grandfathers. We are far from the bones of our people. But perhaps there is one powerful being who will aid Kathryn in returning to the world of the living," he prays. He stays as he is until he feels and hears the turbolift stop and open. He steps out and walks toward the hololab. 

"Computer, load program boy-toy." A dark hologram shimmers into focus. He smirks when he sees his tattoo above its eye. It isn't an exact replica of him: a little taller, more muscular, fuller hair, sharper features. He circles around it. He looks over at the console next. She hasn't programmed any personality traits yet. He presses the buttons necessary to allow him to edit this. "Computer, access Comman-Captain Chakotay's personal logs and extrapolate personality algorithms." 

"Algorithms extracted," the computer responds after a moment. 

"Install personality algorithms into program boy-toy. Now, computer, remove clothing." He's curious if she programmed the tattoo by hand or accessed his medical files. _In which case...._ He walks around to the back of his naked doppelganger. His wolf tattoo is there. He looks at it. He doesn't see it very often for obvious reasons. It looks realistic for a tribal tattoo. "Computer, access Captain Chakotay's most recent transporter data and modify program boy-toy's appearance to match." The hologram shimmers out of existence and returns a few inches shorter. Chakotay circles around to look at himself. His eyes trail down to his groin. It's a little weird seeing himself like this. He smirks. _Better to keep her wanting more, just in case._ "Computer, decrease boy-toy's penis size by three centimeters." 

That part of his program shimmers and returns a touch smaller. He looks back at his face. He wonders what Kathryn will think of his edits. Will she be mad? He hopes not. He hopes she sees this as a welcome back present, one that can comfort her without compromising her if she wants it. "Make the program smile gently upon boot up." The hologram smiles back at him. "Oh, have it say, 'Hi, Kathryn. I look pretty good don't I?' and kiss the person who activates him." That last one is a risk, but he's certain she thinks of him that way even if she can't admit it. Besides, he's more than confident in her abilities to end an encounter she doesn't want.

Selfishly, he wonders if her touch with death will change her mind about him at all. "Save and close program. Inform Chakotay whenever the program boy-toy is booted up. Have it record sounds and do not inform the user of this." He doesn't expect much by way of sounds. Probably, Kathryn will just delete the program. His commbadge chirps and he taps it before hearing who it's from. _I'm really banking on them reviving Kathryn...._

"We're ready, Captain." 

"Thank you, Seven, I'll be there shortly." 


	3. Kathryn

Kathryn takes a breath. Her lungs hurt and her throat feels like a desert. She gets the impression that she hasn't breathed in a long time. Her eyes flutter open. She squints at the bright light overhead and is grateful when something moves to block it. Her eyes focus on Commander Chakotay. She realizes he's holding her hand. She uses her free hand to push him away so that she can sit up. When she does, her head pounds against her skull. She holds her forehead. Kathryn hears the hiss of a hypospray and the pounding disappears. She looks at her First Officer. 

"Commander?" 

"Welcome back, Captain." He realizes he's holding her hand and lets it go. 

"What happened to me?" 

"You were dead." This is Seven. She turns to look at the former Borg drone. Her hands are clasped behind her back and she shows no emotions at seeing her or at pronouncing her recent death. "The Doctor and I were able to revive you with my nanoprobes." 

"Thank you, Seven." She spots the Doctor hovering behind Seven. "Am I free to go?" 

"I'd like to monitor you for a few hours yet, but if you promise to report every hour and stay in the company of another in case you relapse," _he talks like death is a disease,_ "then I can release you to your quarters." 

"Chakotay?" 

"I can go with you." He helps her off of the biobed. She leans against him because if her lungs hurt, her legs are wrapped in flames when she puts her weight on them. If it weren't for his hands around her waist, she'd have collapsed. She blushes and takes a few steps towards the door with his help. She has to lean against the door and pants. She doesn't remember Neelix having so much trouble physically. 

"How long was I out?" 

"About twelve hours. Why?" 

"I can hardly walk," she whispers, more because she's breathless than because she's embarrassed. 

"I can carry you?" It's a question. She debates it and then decides she'd rather not be in pain. 

"Alright, just this once." When Chakotay scoops her into his surprisingly strong arms, she catches the Doctor looking at her with surprise before he turns away and mumbles something she can't hear to Seven. She wraps her arms around his neck and leans her head against his chest. She can hear his heartbeat and breathing. She likes that he doesn't seem strained from carrying her. He carries her right into her quarters. It makes her think of the tradition of a groom carrying their bride across their home's threshold. He lays her out on her bed gently. A thought strikes her as he goes toward the bathroom. "Does the crew know?" 

"No." He comes back with a cup of water. "I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up." She pulls herself to a seated position in her bed and takes the cup greedily. 

"Thank you." She drinks all of it quickly. "We should probably tell them." 

"I'm sure they will be glad to hear your voice." He smiles as he leans forward and takes the glass from her. She thinks he might try kissing her, but his body moves away almost as soon as she thinks it and she feels a wave of disappointment. If being dead taught her anything, it's that life is too special to waste. 

"Get me my commbadge." She's in Sickbay blues. She should change soon, but they are comfy enough to sleep in assuming Chakotay stays the night. He goes to her desk and returns with it in his palm. She takes it from him and presses down with her thumb. She brings it to her mouth as she speaks. 

"Janeway to Tuvok." 

"Tuvok here. It's good to hear from you, but I must say: I am puzzled by your voice." 

"Patch me through to the ship and I'll explain." 

"Aye, Captain. It's good to have you back." She smiles. He's her oldest friend so she recognizes the happy lilt to his voice. After a moment, he speaks to her again. "Your commlink has been fed into the ship." 

"Captain Janeway to the crew." She imagines that many people have simply frozen in place. She hopes she hasn't just caused any injuries. "As I'm sure you all know by now. I was killed in the attack earlier. Thanks to Seven and the Doctor, I am now alive and well. Thank you for being a good crew for Commander Chakotay while he was Captain." She cringes. _Did the computer remind the Captain about the program?_ "Janeway out." She sets the commbadge on her nightstand next to her romance PADD. She looks at Chakotay. He's sitting on the end of her bed, watching her. "Did the computer remind you to modify a program?" _God I wish I called it something innocuous._

"It did." 

"And did you?" 

"I did." She closes her eyes and hits her head on the bulkhead behind her. 

"Damn." 

"Interesting choice of boy-toy you made yourself." She feels her cheeks flush. 

"Sorry, Chakotay. I'll delete it right away." 

"Don't." She looks at him. He's smirking. _What did he do to my program?_ "I don't mind if you keep him. Maybe he and I will grow on you." She throws a pillow at him and instantly regrets it when he starts laughing. "Tom says B'Elanna always throws pillows when she's in a _mood_." She kicks him this time. 

"Well, I am _not_ in a mood, so drop it, _Commander_." Chagrined, he gets up from her bed. 

"I'm sorry, Captain." Pleased, she settles back in her bed and picks up her PADD to read. After a few minutes, she gets a message from Chakotay. She looks up to see him sitting on her couch but not paying her any mind. 

:: So does this count as a date? :: There are those little checkboxes again. She checks no at the bottom of the screen. 

:: I said drop it, Chakotay, or I'll have Tuvok march you straight to the brig. :: That shuts him up and she reads in peace. She taps her commbadge every hour to let the Doctor know she hasn't keeled over yet. She reads until her eyes start drooping. 

"You should get some sleep, Captain." She looks up at him. he's watching her over the back of the couch. She wonders sleepily how long he's been like that. She puts her PADD on her nightstand. She's a little uncomfortable with him watching her sleep but she doesn't make him leave because she's more scared of slipping back into the embrace of death. She calls for five percent illumination and quickly falls asleep. 

When she gets ready the next day, Chakotay is still laying on her couch. Somehow, he fell asleep leaning against the back of it on his side while hugging a pillow. He looks peaceful. She brushes some hair from his tattoo without thinking. His eyes open. 

"Morning." 

"Morning, Chakotay. Sleep alright?" She watches him stretch his legs and roll his neck. 

"Mostly. Just a bit stiff. You?" 

"I slept fine. My bed's nice. You should try it sometime." She blushes at what she's just suggested. Thankfully, he doesn't comment. He looks to be thinking too hard. "You should probably get back to your quarters." She blushes when he actually looks at her because no one else knows that the Doctor required her to have a companion for the night. If anyone sees him leaving her quarters, they will only assume that her death experience brought her around to finally having sex with her First Officer. She almost wishes she deserves the judgement. 

"I'll be discreet," he says like he can read her mind. She smiles, grabs her clothes, and goes to her bathroom to get dressed. When she's nearly done, she hears Chakotay leave her quarters when the doors open and close. She finishes getting dressed, gathers her hair in a loose half braid—her head still pains her—and heads to the bridge. She isn't surprised to find that she beat him there. She takes her seat just as the door lets him in. 

"Good morning," she says again. 

"Morning," he replies as he takes his seat beside her. She studies him when he isn't looking. 

"What happened when we were attacked? How'd I get hurt? I remember being in the new resort, and then nothing." 

"Tom found you across the threshold of the holodeck." _Good so he doesn't know I eavesdropped on them, yet._ She wonders if she should tell him. If she were honest, she would. "He called me over and I carried you to Sickbay. You had a gash on your forehead that was bleeding badly, but you woke up for a moment and said something." 

"What did I say?" 

"My name. You touched my cheek and said my name. Then you passed out again. The Doctor healed your cut, but—" he stops. 

"But I died anyway." 

"You had an aneurism. He couldn't revive you and pronounced you dead at 1752." Suddenly life feels so fragile. She was dead less than twelve hours ago. Maybe she'd feel better after a while, but right now, all she can think about is how many times she's rebuffed Chakotay when all she really wants is someone to hold her close at night and tell her she made the right choice, that they will get home, that they will be safe. 

"Chakotay," she places a hand on his. "I need to tell you two things." 

"I'm listening." 

"First: I'm not being difficult for no reason. Starfleet has its rules." She says this quietly. She smiles. "Second: I appreciate you didn't do what Tom suggested doing with the messages." He looks at her with an expression of shock. 

"That's why you were on the holodeck then?" She nods and holds his eyes. For another brief moment, she thinks he'll kiss her in plain view of the entire bridge crew. _Well everyone except Tom._ She almost leans in herself, but shakes her head to break their eye contact. She retracts her hand and looks forward at the bleak expanse of black and stars. 

She finds her way to her quarters at the end of the day. The day was pretty rough for her. Her body complained at her every movement, her throat was perpetually dry, and she kept getting headaches that only went away when the Doctor gave her something for them. She got another dose as she went off shift and hopes it will last until she goes to bed. There's a message waiting on her PADD when she settles under her covers naked. She doesn't look at it further once she sees the question from Chakotay. She presses the bottom of the screen and goes back to reading. After a few minutes, she gets another message. 

:: Your quarters at 1900 hours tomorrow. I'll bring the food and wine. :: _He'll what?_ She goes back to the message and sees with horror that she checked yes because he switched the positions on her. She types back angrily, wishing that she can better convey her disgust in her message. 

:: You tricked me! :: 

:: Now I know why Tom whispered his little idea to me. He knew you were listening. :: She growls. _I'll kill him, Earth be damned!_ She slams the PADD on her nightstand, checks that she hasn't broken it quickly, and then throws the covers over her. 

"Lights out, Computer!" The room goes dark. She stirs for a moment before giving in to her fears. "Lights to five percent." The lights creep up to five percent and she relaxes into sleep. 

Chakotay doesn't say a word beyond work to her the next day. If she hadn't double checked her messages that morning, she'd have thought that nothing had happened. Still, when she's in her quarters wondering what to wear—_should I really treat this like a date?_ she wonders as she holds the deep navy dress in front of herself in the mirror—she hears her door buzz. 

"Come." She looks over to the figure that walks in. It's Chakotay dressed in a crisp white button down and black pants. _Date night it is then._ He's holding a bottle of wine under one arm and balancing a plastic container of food on the other palm. It smells good. "I'll be a moment." She takes the dress into the bathroom before he can spot her. She locks the door and starts peeling her lounging clothes off. She slips into the dress and smooths it over her body. The dress has a scoop neck that shows off the tops of her breasts. The sleeves are short and fluttery. The waist cinches in enticingly. She can feel the cool air on her back where her hair doesn't cover the deep swoop. It reaches to her mid-back. She isn't wearing a bra for that reason. Kathryn turns to her side to study it in the mirror. Her breasts jut out as nicely as her ass does. The dress hugs her thighs under her ass tightly. _I wonder if he's an ass or a breast man...._ She physically shakes her head and regrets it when her headache comes back for a moment. Eventually, the world stops spinning and she steps outside. Her eyes fall on Chakotay lighting a pair of candles on the table. He burns himself, drops the match with a shake, and swears. She smirks. "Having trouble?" 

"A bit." He looks up at her for the first time. His mouth hangs open a tad. "You're beautiful." 

"Yeah?" She takes her seat. "You're drooling." He shuts his mouth to her laughter. He glares at her as he sits down. He opens the container in front of them. The smell of meat and cheese drift to her. "What is that?" 

"Lasagna," he looks up at her, "homemade." She's excited to try it if it tastes half as good as it smells. He cuts a piece off and places it carefully on her plate. He does the same for himself and then closes the container, pushing it aside. He opens the wine with a pop and pours her glass first. It's red wine and smells very deep. She takes a sip. 

"Mmm. This is good." 

"Only the best for the Captain." She blushes. 

"Go ahead and call me Kathryn, Chakotay." She realizes the unevenness of it. She calls almost all of her crew by their first name at some time or another, but not one can do the same to her. _Captain's prerogative._

"Give me some time to get used to that, Kathryn," but he says it as if he was born saying it. She starts to eat the lasagna in front of her. 

"This is delicious. You made it?" 

"I did. I only got the raw ingredients from the replicator. You like it?" 

"Very much." She laughs. "Neelix might be out of a job." 

"Oh, Neelix shouldn't worry. I only cook on special occasions." His eyes glimmer. 

"And I'm a special occasion?" 

"Always." His voice is so tender that she can practically feel him kissing her. She wants to kiss him. She wants him to kiss her. She pushes that aside and continues eating. They talk about everything and nothing. Kathryn finds herself enjoying his company. She's almost sad to see him go, but he has to; it's late. Unless she wants to risk the crew making up rumors about them—_or make any rumors a reality_—then she should make sure he leaves tonight. He stops in front of her door before pressing the button to exit. He takes her hands in his and runs his thumbs over the tops of them. _He's going to kiss me._ Her stomach flutters. "Permission to kiss you?" Just like in her dream, she doesn't know what to say. But she does know what to do. She tilts up on her toes and falls into his chest to kiss him. He kisses back and holds her tight. She moves her arms around his neck. His fingers on her back skin make her body tingle excitedly. Her body fits into his perfectly. Their lips mold together like they were formed that way. They break away, breathless. She sees that he's blushing and knows she is as well. 

"I'll see you tomorrow, Chakotay. Good night." His hands are holding hers again. 

"Good night, Kathryn." He turns and presses the exit button. He holds her other hand until the distance between them is too great to continue holding it. Their hands fall to their sides limply. She smiles at him. He smiles back and turns to walk to his quarters. He's going the wrong way. She laughs. He realizes, spins on his heel, and points in the right direction. "My quarters are _that_ way." 

"Right you are, Commander." 

"Sleep well, Captain." She watches him for a moment longer and then retreats back into her quarters. She looks at the table. He left the wine. She pours herself a tall glass, sets it on the nightstand, and then takes off her dress to toss it into the recycler. She slides into bed and reads while sipping at her wine. Soon she's too sleepy to see straight. She sets her empty glass and her PADD on the nightstand, calls for the lights, and goes to sleep. 

She meets him in her dream. It picks up where they left off on their date. Instead of kissing her and leaving, he kisses her and pins her against the door. She gasps. He uses the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues tangle together. 

"You're so sexy, Kathryn." She smiles as he kisses down her neck. She feels him slip the sleeve of her dress over her shoulder. He kisses her shoulder then moves to the other side and repeats. His fingers gather up her dress at her hips as he kisses her mouth. When he has all of it, he breaks their kiss to pull her dress over her body. She isn't wearing a bra or any underwear. She blushes. "So sexy." She feels better with him complimenting her. He picks her up and takes her to her bed. He lays her down on the side so that her legs hang over the bed's edge at her knees. He pulls off his pants and boxers quickly, but leaves his shirt on. She feels herself being yanked closer to the edge. Her wet cunt is on the edge of the bed. The cold air tickles her and she's glad when he breaks the air's contact with her by thrusting into her. She moans softly. His cock feels so good inside her. She grinds against him, depositing her fluids on him. He slams into her tight pussy roughly. She moans each time as his cock pushes against her cervix. He drops a finger to explore her auburn curls. His thumb finds her clitoris and presses down hard, almost painfully so, before making small circles on her. She grinds against him obscenely but not caring. _Gods, I need this._ He rides her like a dog and she comes with a scream and shudder that draws his orgasm out of him. She feels his hot seed shoot deep into her and shudders again at the thought of one day carrying his children. 

Kathryn wakes up sweaty and aroused. Her sheets are a tangled mess over her. She has a pillow clutched to her stomach, its edge is digging into her clitoris, wedged between her wet folds. She groans and slides herself against it a few times before tossing it aside and using her hands. She still feels Chakotay's kiss on her lips and his dream penis in her. Then it hits her: _I can have better than this._ Her boy-toy is saved somewhere in the computer's memory, encrypted for her eyes only. _And Chakotay's done something to him._ She shudders with excitement and slips out of her bed feeling like a teen sneaking out of her bedroom for a booty call while her parents slept. She would know; she's done it once or twice herself. She doesn't want to bother with real clothing. Her skin is so sensitive right now. Instead, she grabs a terry cloth white robe and slips it around her. She ties it to her waist tightly and heads for an empty holodeck. She feels so giddy. She finds an empty holodeck; it's the first one she sees. She slips inside and engages a soundproof privacy lock. She looks around the white and blue lines of the holodeck. 

"Computer, search holodeck programs for a bedroom and list these programs." 

"There are twenty-seven programs that meet this search criteria." 

"Eliminate any programs that involve dangerous scenarios." 

"There are fourteen programs that meet this search criteria." 

"Eliminate any programs that have beds smaller than a king and list according to lighting conditions from darkest to brightest." She guesses that a romantic program would have a darker lighting theme. 

"There are seven programs that meet this search criteria." 

"List and describe them one at a time." 

"Program Paris seven four one," _figures he's at the top of the list,_ "is a bedroom scenario." That's all the detail she gets. 

"When was this program last accessed and saved?" 

"Program Paris seven four one was last accessed and saved yesterday evening." She can't use an active program like that, even if she doesn't save it. It'd be too weird, even if she's curious. _Later._

"Next." 

"Program Chakotay," _Chakotay?_ She doesn't hear the number denoting the program. 

"Computer, begin program." 

"Initiating program Chakotay zero four four." _Zero four four. I need to remember that._ The holodeck transforms into a dimly lit bedroom. The bed in the center of the room is a canopy king-sized bed with crimson-purple sheets. She's shocked to see her visage lying naked on it. 

"Hi, Chakotay," her holographic double slides off the bed and slinks in front of her. It kisses her while her own eyes are wide open. "Want to unwind?" 

"Computer, delete," her eyes graze over her double's body. She guesses he used her transporter data, "all characters." She doesn't want to be surprised by a holographic Seska or B'Elanna. "How long ago was this program created?" She has a hunch she wants to check. 

"Program Chakotay zero four four was created five days ago." _Five days ago...let's see, that was...That was when he had to wake me up. I guess that explains why he doesn't mind me keeping a holographic version of him._ Having been reminded of her mission, she groans and slips out of her robe, letting it fall to the ground with a rush of air. She climbs into the well-made bed and lays on the bed like her holographic double had been. 

"Computer, load program boy-toy." 

"Chakotay has been notified of this program's initiation." _Shit. Well it's too late now._ The naked hologram looks around for her. She realizes that she'd never gotten around to programming its personality. She just assumed that Chakotay had. 

"Hi, Kathryn. I look pretty good don't I?" She laughs. He crawls onto the bed and kisses her straight away. She kisses him back and pulls his body to hers. She's still aroused. She wants him in her now. She slips a hand between them and wraps her fingers around his member. She begins pumping it and her stomach floats on his noises. She wonders if Chakotay will sound half as good. When he's hard enough, she guides him into her wet channel. She throws her head back and moans when he's in to the hilt. 

"Oh, gods, Chakotay. You feel so _good_." He rides her gently and then picks up pace as her moans egg him on. He's smirking and she wonders how Chakotay gave him this personality; it's remarkably similar to how she'd expect him to behave. She arches her back and presses her clitoris to his pubic bone, grinding lewdly. A loud scream tears through her throat. She doesn't hold back: no one can hear her. Two waves of glorious orgasm wash over her back to back. She's whimpering by the time she comes down. Holographic Chakotay doesn't climax. She doesn't care since he's not real. "Computer, delete boy-toy character," she says breathlessly. It feels a little weird to have his hard penis suddenly disappear. She rests a while so that her body can return to normal. Then she slides out of bed, admiring the mess she's made. She bites her lip. The sheets are a disaster. There's a wet spot where she was lying. She guesses it to be a mixture of sweat and her own juices. She slips into her robe. "Computer, modify program to, um, save the layout of bodily fluids then save and close program," she asks before she can change her mind. "Oh," she pauses before she exits the program because she remembers Chakotay's dirty trick. "Notify Captain Janeway when this program is activated. Encrypt program for Commander Chakotay and Captain Janeway." She smiles triumphantly and goes back her quarters. She sleeps very well. 


	4. Chakotay

Chakotay wakes up too early, but he isn't sure why. He looks around the dim room and hears a soft beeping at his console. Curious, he throws his covers off, sits at the console, and turns it on. There's a message from the computer. The subject line: Program boy-toy activated at 0207. He looks at the time now: 0217. He smirks when he sees the audio file attached to it. He activates a privacy lock on a whim and presses play. 

"Hi, Kathryn. I look pretty good don't I?" He hears himself say. Kathryn laughs. He hears the sounds of a wet kiss and then sounds of his own pleasure. Then she moans. 

"Oh, gods, Chakotay. You feel so _good_." He wasn't expecting that. Well, okay, maybe he was, at least a little. His groin stirs because he knows his holographic double doesn't represent himself perfectly. He wishes he had been there. She's moaning softly now. He wishes she was moaning for him. She sounds so beautiful to him. She screams her delight, whimpers, then silence. Chakotay's own groin throbs. "Computer, delete boy-toy character." The recording ends. He replays it and groans when she screams. He needs to add that to his toy. He gets up and is heading for the holodeck with a robe hanging untied around him before he knows what he's doing. He activates Chakotay zero four four and steps inside, expecting to be greeted by his holographic Kathryn. She isn't anywhere in sight. It takes a moment for him to realize why. _She used my program._ He finds it incredibly arousing. 

"Computer, activate Kathryn Beta." The naked Kathryn shimmers onto the bed and smiles at him, about to say what he knows she will say. "Pause program. Access sound file attached to the boy-toy notification message." 

"Access approved." He can't believe he's doing this. But then again, he can't believe he programmed a naked and willing Kathryn in the first place. _They really aught to restrict access to transporter data. Who knows how many naked holographic crewmen there are._

"Extract female waveforms and install them into program Kathryn Beta." 

"Extraction and installation complete," the computer says after a moment's silence. 

"Resume program." 

"Hi, Chakotay," Kathryn Beta slinks over to him and kisses him. He puts his hands on her waist. "Want to unwind?" 

"I do. What do you have in mind?" Her finger traces down his chest agonizingly slow. It rests on the hem of his boxers. She tugs at them and snaps them against his skin. The sting sends a jolt of pleasure through his body. 

"Oh, I'm sure we can think of something. Except," she looks at him with sultry eyes, "you're overdressed." He grins, shrugs off his robe, pulls his boxers down, and then follows her to the bed. It's then that he sees the stains. His groin stirs again and his stomach fills with butterflies. 

"Oh, Kathryn. You minx." Kathryn Beta giggles. He places Kathryn Beta in Kathryn's shadow. He's going to get to be there after all. _What did my double do? Right._ "Hi, Kathryn. I look pretty good don't I?" Kathryn Beta laughs. He smirks before kissing her. He kisses down her neck as he feels her fingers grab his painfully erect penis. He groans and bites down. She gasps and squirms. Her wet pussy presses against his leg. He pulls her hand away and pins them both above her head with one hand. He presses himself into her slowly. She grinds against him, spreading her juices on him. He can smell her tantalizingly musky scent. It's enough to drive a man insane. He pounds into her aggressively, chasing his orgasm. He sends her over the edge without trying to. Her body arches and she screams like Kathryn had. The sound sends him over. His body convulses as he shoots into her. He collapses on her with a sigh. After he catches his breath, he pulls out of Kathryn Beta to the sound of her whimpers and bids the computer to revert to the previous save point. He likes that Kathryn used his program. He hopes she will again and wants it ready for her to do so. He saves the program and exits. 


	5. Kathryn

When Kathryn wakes up the next morning, her console is beeping. She gets up and looks at the messages there. There is only one new message: Program Chakotay zero four four was activated at 0220. _0220? I woke up around then. He must have gone down right away._ The realization makes her limbs tingle. She wonders how he'll be today. She doesn't think he'll mention the surprise she left him, but then again, she still hasn't figured him out. 

Chakotay is warmer to her during their day shift. He touches her more than usual and that's odd for him because normally she's the touchy-feely type. Tom notices and makes a comment. 

"Now, children, keep your hands to yourself." She glares at the back of his head since he said that when he walked in for his duty shift five minutes late. 

"I hope you enjoy degaussing the plasma manifolds, Tom, because you just volunteered." 

"Oh I do. B'Elanna thinks it's hot when I get back covered in plasma." _She would._ Kathryn rolls her eyes. They land on her First Officer. He's looking at her like _that_. She blushes, thinking back to her night. Somehow, they manage to get through their shift without stripping each other down. She's relieved when she can go back to the safety of her quarters. Like clockwork, he messages her another date request. The yes and no checkboxes are back in their normal places. She wonders if he's setting her up for another mistake. It doesn't matter. She doesn't know why she has been so reluctant to date him. They'll be lucky if they get back to the Alpha Quadrant old and gray at all if her scare on the holodeck is any sign. Starfleet would have to forgive her transgression for their unexpected lifetime journey. Besides, he's not actually Starfleet anymore. At worst, she's fraternizing with the enemy, though she expects the lot of Maquis to be pardoned for exemplary service once they get home. She checks yes. It takes a while for him to respond. 

:: This Friday at 1900 hours in my quarters. Bring the wine back with you. :: She can hardly wait. 

When Friday rolls around, she finds herself looking through her meager non-uniform clothing. She can't find anything that says date night to her and she doesn't have enough spare rations to make a dress. She debates going to him in her lounging clothes but remembers that he had dressed up before. It stands to reason he'll dress up again. She presses her commbadge. 

"Kathryn to B'Elanna." 

"B'Elanna here. What's up, Kathryn?" They'd long agreed to use first names when off duty. It made it easier to feel like friends rather than superior and subordinate. 

"I need your help. Do you have a cute dress I can borrow?" 

"Um sure? What kind of dress do you need?" 

"Something that says 'date night'. Got anything like that?" She's sure B'Elanna has plenty of that. 

"With Chakotay?" 

"What's it matter?" 

"He has a type." _Of course he does. Now why didn't I ask B'Elanna before?_ She realizes she hadn't asked her before because she was tricked into her date with Chakotay by B'Elanna's boyfriend. She's still a little mad at him. 

"Can I come try it on?" Her quarters are closer to Chakotay's anyway. 

"Sure. Come by whenever." 

"I'll head over now. He's expecting me soon." She closes the channel, grabs the wine bottle, and walks over to B'Elanna's in a pair of beige flats. She buzzes her door. B'Elanna answers. 

"Well that was fast," she teases. 

"Just let me in," but Kathryn's smiling. She likes being teased about Chakotay. It makes her feel young and beautiful. It helps that B'Elanna is young and beautiful. Tom slides behind B'Elanna and kisses her neck. 

"Who is it, Bee?" 

"Use your eyes, Tom. It's the Captain." He looks up at her. 

"Oh. Hi, Captain." He sulks as he walks away from them. B'Elanna laughs. 

"Don't mind him; he's just in a mood, but he won't," she raises her voice toward Tom, "wash that damn plasma off!" Kathryn laughs. 

"But you said you liked it last time!" He laments from another room. B'Elanna shakes her head and lets Kathryn inside. 

"Tom, hun, I was coming off my period then. I like everything." As they walk past him toward the closet, Kathryn hears him grumble something like 'cleaned those damn manifolds for nothing'. B'Elanna palms through her clothing, ignoring him. She has a lot of nice dresses. Kathryn picks up the hem of a short red shiny one. It's soft even though it glitters. 

"You can't use that one, Captain. It's my favorite. Don't wanna look at B'Elanna in it and be reminded of the Commander and you—" he cuts himself off when B'Elanna shoots him a glare. Kathryn laughs sure that he was about to say something along the lines of 'going at it'. _Good thing he stopped. He'd be scrubbing warp nacelles next._

"Here it is." B'Elanna pulls out a long deep green dress with a low v-neck and off-the-shoulder sleeves. There's a long slit along the side and Kathryn laughs again. 

"Don't tell me, Chakotay is a leg guy." 

"Every guy is a leg guy; they just are an ass man or boob whore along with it," Tom comments as he gets up for the shower. 

"Chakotay's also a boob whore," B'Elanna adds. Kathryn takes all this in appreciatively and takes the dress from B'Elanna. Tom steps into the bathroom. "I'll stand guard." B'Elanna moves to stand in front of the bathroom door while Kathryn lays the dress on the bed and begins undressing. She turns around quickly when she hears Tom's voice. 

"I forgot my 'jays." B'Elanna shuts the door on him before it opens more than an inch. 

"You don't need them." Kathryn returns to undressing while she listens to their exchange. 

"Oh, really?" 

"Really. Now wash that blasted plasma off." 

"Aye, aye, chief." Kathryn hears the sounds of a water shower as she pulls the dress over her head. The fabric is soft against her skin. The material is very thin, so she's glad she can wear her beige bra with it. She turns around once the fabric settles. She juts out the leg near the slit and looks at B'Elanna. 

"How do I look?" 

"Stunning." She grimaces when her eyes land on her feet. "But you need different shoes. Heels I'm thinking. Chakotay's a tall guy." Kathryn looks down at her beige flats. They don't really match the green. She toes them off and puts them on the bed next to her clothes. She walks to B'Elanna who is digging through her shoe stash at the bottom of her closet. They hear the shower shut off. 

"Can I come out yet?" 

"Not yet," Kathryn answers. She does _not_ want to see Tom in his birthday suit. 

"Alright, holler when I can come out, B'Elanna." 

"I will. Found them!" She presents Kathryn with a pair of dainty black shoes with a three inch heel. 

"You wear these?" She asks incredulously. 

"I do when we play games." She blushes. "Tom likes my feet." B'Elanna has a far off look and Kathryn wonders what sort of games they play with these. "They're his favorite, but I won't tell him you used them." 

"Alright, let me try them on." She slips her feet into the dainty shoes and buckles the clasp in the back. It fits her well. She puts on the other shoe and does a little spin. She sees Tom in a towel just outside the bathroom. 

"Wow, Captain, you look _hot_." B'Elanna glares at him. "I mean—" 

"It's alright, Tom. I like the compliment. Though I hope you haven't ruined your chances." She gathers her clothing, shoes, and wine. Then she walks out of the room, careful to keep the long hem of her dress covering the recognizable parts of her shoes. 

"So did I blow it?" 

"No, but you should wait until the Captain _leaves_ before you _take your damned towel off_." She chuckles to herself and steps out into the corridor. Kathryn buzzes Chakotay's door nervously. She's a little early, but it doesn't matter. He looks ready for her in a crisp white shirt and black trousers. She blushes, thinking back to her dream and that shirt. As far as she's concerned, this is the sexiest outfit she's ever laid eyes on. 

"Hi Kathryn." He dips to kiss her quickly and then lets her inside. He takes the bundle of things from her and looks questioningly at the clothes and shoes. "Hoping to spend the night?" 

"No, I just had to borrow this outfit from B'Elanna." She poses like she had for B'Elanna, bending her knee slightly since the heel forces her to on the leg sticking out. "Like it?" 

"I thought I recognized that dress. Love it." She puts herself together blushing. She's looking around for dinner but just sees two glasses on the coffee table. She sits down and waits for Chakotay to join her. He has only the wine in hand and starts pouring their glasses. "I thought we could play a game instead of eat." 

"A game?" She asks hesitantly. She worries he wants to play something bordering sex. He pulls out a pair of headbands with screens in the center. 

"It's called headbands. Each person wears one of these," he puts one around her head so that the screen is over her forehead, "and the other person has to act out what is on their screen for a set time without saying the word." He puts his own on. 

"Okaaay." She admits it's an odd date night game, but she'll play along, assuming the words aren't too sexual. 

"You go first." He leans forward and presses a button on the side. She holds her breath. He's so very close. She can see the dark stubble on his chin and smell his cologne: woodchips. He leans back and she focuses on him. "Oh, that's easy." He turns to his side and holds his hands up like claws in front of his chest. He howls dramatically. 

"Wolf." She thinks back to his tattoo. 

"Yup." He starts miming another animal by puckering his lips and placing his hands on his cheeks to flap them. 

"Fish." She smiles. _This is pretty fun._ He nods and starts the next word. He holds an arm to his nose and lifts his head and curves his arm in a fluid wave-like motion. "Elephant." 

"Got it." She shifts in her seat to be more comfortable. He gets up from the couch to crawl around the coffee table to her lap. He 'jumps up' to place his paws on her exposed thigh, panting and looking expectantly up at her. His backside wags. She laughs. 

"Dog." 

"Alright, this next one is harder." He stays on all fours and crawls to the side of the coffee table. He plops to his side and licks his hand. 

"Cat?" He shakes his head. He yawns and works his jaw. Then he roars. "Lion." 

"Correct." He frowns. "Time's up." 

"Your turn then." He goes back to the couch across from her and feels around for the button he needs. When he presses it, his screen lights up with white lettering and a blue background. The word is cat. She can't very well crawl in her dress so she licks her hand. 

"Cat." She nods and looks at the next prompt. The headband seems able to recognize their voices. The word is giraffe. She lifts her hand over her head and holds it to her ear. She points to it with her other hand. Her pointer and pinkie finger point straight up like ears and she makes like she's pulling leaves off a tree. "Giraffe?" She nods. 

"Yeah." The next word is monkey. She laughs. Then she screeches like the monkey on New Earth had. Chakotay laughs too. 

"Monkey." The screen doesn't change. 

"Say it again, I don't think it picked that up." 

"Monkey." The screen changes. It says lover. _Damn it, he tricked me again._ She stares at him blankly. "Um, corpse?" She leans forward and kisses him gently, quickly. "Kisser?" Her hand slides down his chest. _He's gotta know this one. Maybe he has a couple of these thrown in._

"Close, very close." Her hand is on his hip now. She leans forward and kisses him slower. 

"Lover." She nods. He pulls her to him and kisses her again. "I'd love for you to be my lover, Kathryn," he says when he breaks away. His hand is on her shoulder, burning a hole to her soul there while his eyes go through hers. She doesn't know what to do. She thinks back to why she checked yes in the first place. Starfleet will forgive them. They'll understand why. She leans forward and kisses him. 

"I think I might too." He kisses her again, deeply. She reaches up to pull off the headbands, first from her own head and then from his. He stands up and kisses her again. She wishes he'd pin her to something; her legs are shaking. His fingers pull the fabric into his hands at her trim waist slowly. Eventually, he has all of the cloth and breaks away from her to pull it over her head. He drops it on the couch and he slides his hands around her back to unclasp her bra. She sighs when her breasts are free. The bra meets the same fate as her dress. He tips his head to her breasts and kisses between them while pressing her boobs together to his cheeks. She resists the urge to laugh as she sees the evidence of Chakotay, the boob whore before her. He kisses the top of each breast and returns to her lips. Her fingers find their way to the front of his trousers. She grazes his erection and moans involuntarily at his girth. Her fingers fumble to release him. When his trousers are undone, she slides his trousers and boxers off his body. He steps out of them, his cock bounces enticingly in front of her. She kisses the tip and hears his delicious groan. She pulls him into her mouth with her hands on his hips. He thrusts into her mouth softly, pushing himself all the way into her. She allows it and runs her tongue along the bottom, and then around the tip when he pulls himself back. She releases him then, not wanting him to come in her mouth but in her vagina. She stands to kiss him. He pulls them to his bed. Her stomach flutters when he pushes her down to it. _It's like my dream._ Her knees are at the end of the bed and he's standing over her in his crisp white shirt. He starts to unbutton it. 

"No, keep it on." He leaves the second button latched and pulls her down to him. She squeals with delight. He rubs the head of his burgeoning cock against her wet folds, then he slips inside. She gasps. "OH. You feel so _good_." He dips to nip her neck. 

"Now where have I heard that one before?" She pants as he thrusts into her roughly. She cries out when he hits her cervix forcefully. A cocktail of pain and pleasure washes over her skin. 

"Where?" He kisses her. 

"A little holographic birdy told me." Realization dawns on her. 

"You didn't." 

"I did," he growls into her ear. She should be angry. She should be _furious_ for him invading her privacy like that. She should be embarrassed. She couldn't bring herself to be any of that. He pulls away from her head. 

"You need to delete it." 

"I will." He thrusts into her with a grunt. She shrieks. "After I have something to replace it, here." He taps his head. They don't bother talking any more. Both know they have more important things to do with their mouths. He presses her limits by moving faster. He's bigger than she remembers and it doesn't take long for her to scream and arch her back. Her climax doesn't slow him down. If anything, it makes him more focused on his own pleasure as he watches her writhe beneath him. He leans forward to feel her body better. Her clitoris rubs against him and she tumbles over the edge again. Kathryn whimpers when Chakotay thrusts into her oversensitive body and sends aftershocks through her as he comes himself with a grunt. His body goes stiff against hers and they stay that while they catch their breath together. His body bent over hers and hers arched to meet his. When he's finished, she lets her body fall to the bed with a thump. The motion pulls him out of her. He crawls onto the bed next to her and gathers her into his arms. Chakotay's nose is in her hair. He hums softly. 

"You smell sweet, Kathryn." 

"You smell good too." 

Kathryn wakes up early. It takes her a moment to remember why she is naked and lying in bed sideways. She feels Chakotay's arm tighten protectively around her. She nuzzles against him and enjoys his scent and company for a few minutes. She gingerly picks up his arm and places it around a pillow instead when she slips out from under him. He pulls the pillow to himself. She smiles at the tender sight. She will need to go to her quarters quickly if she wants to show up in uniform and on time. She quietly gets dressed and slips into her flats once she finds her clothing. She picks up the dress and sandals. She can return them on her way back. She leaves Chakotay's room and places the dress and sandals on the ground outside B'Elanna's quarters in a folded parcel with the shoes wrapped inside. She goes to her quarters after and dresses with lightning speed. She can't wait to see Chakotay again today. She brushes her hair and puts it up in a bun, takes it down, and then simply clasps it at the back of her skull. Satisfied, she heads for the bridge. 

Chakotay isn't in his chair yet. She sits down and waits. When he arrives, she smiles at him and he smiles back. She begins to worry when he isn't as touchy as yesterday. He doesn't join her for lunch because he has crew evaluations to complete. He doesn't walk with her back to her quarters either. She's feeling downright sorry for herself when she doesn't even get a message from him. _Am I just another lay?_ Chakotay doesn't strike her as that sort of man. He's as loyal as a bloodhound. She slips into her robe and goes to her door so that she can chew him out in his quarters. When she opens the door, he's standing there. Not only is he standing there, he's holding a bouquet of orange and yellow tulips. She looks down at them, wondering what prompted him to replicate them. A dream she'd forgotten comes to mind and she looks up at his smiling face. She pulls him into her quarters. _This is what I'll tell our children when they asked why we are married._


End file.
